Monday, June 22, 2009

Hazelnut milk

After my success with almond milk, I was poised to try the same thing with some hazelnuts. I used a little less water, as I felt the almond milk was a tad watery.

I'm somewhat ok with the cheesecloth method, but I do find it difficult to clean. After scraping as much nut pulp as I can into a container for later use, I shake it out, then soak it in hot water and rinse it. Still, there are little bits of nuts clearly stuck to it. I figure it's dry, so it's not an issue? But, I'm thinking that that's not the best attitude to have longterm. Friday I had the day off and my friend and I went on a veritable hunt for a nut milk bag. He uses the sewed up shirt sleeve of a button up shirt to strain his milk. I think that that's an awesome idea and absolutely great with regards to reducing our consumption. Well, I think that in theory. In practice, I just can't do it. I just don't like the idea; I honestly don't know why, particularly given that I'm ok with dried up nut bits! But also, to justify my irrational aversion somewhat, I just don't feel the drainage would be as spectacular as it could be or as I wanted it to be. Well we hit up every store on in the kensington area and some on Spadina as well; no luck. He kept trying to sell me on just using the random cloth bags we'd occassionally see; I also could not - or perhaps would not - be sold on that idea. So the hunt continues! Until then I feel more or less fine with the cheesecloth method...

hazelnut milk
1c hazelnuts
3.5c water

soak hazelnuts for 6-8 hours (I left them soaking in the fridge to be safe, given the issues encountered last time). Rinse well and blend with water. Leave sitting in blender for 5-10 minutes, then strain through cheesecloth that's layered over a mesh strainer (or, in a nut bag if you're lucky enough to find one), squeezing as much liquid as you can out of it. Now, this would've tasted great with the spice mix I had used for the almond milk, but honestly it was so nice and hazelnutty that I felt wrong adding anything into it! So, I left it au natural.

I used the pulp immediately to make these. Can I say holy crap! My god were they amazing!!! Well, are amazing, as miracuously I have not yet polished them off. I didn't add nuts as the pulp was pretty chunky, didn't add the cayenne pepper as the thought weirded me out a bit (I know, I know, I'm surprisingly picky and unadventurous for someone who's favourite food is nutritional yeast...), didn't add the raisins as I had none (just used more dates instead), used coconut oil instead of olive and had no icing (although a cashew cream spiced with cardamon would be insanely divine). Omg omg omg they tasted just like cinnamon rolls, this person is a genious!